Gabriel Knight 2-2: The Streets of München

And we do have to go home for a bit before we can find our way through the streets of Munich!

Got back to the game today, after shamelessly looking up what to do next. Good thing I did that. There are two puzzles in Chapter One that I'm not sure anybody could figure out without at least a hint. The first is the tapes. Once you decide what to do with them it's pretty easy. But you're going to be staring at the zoo wolves for a long time before you realize what you need to do, because there is no further action you can take until you figure it out (or shamelessly look at the WT).

Next I got stuck wandering around the streets of Munich. I remember this from the first time I played the game back in the 90s, if you don't know what to do Gabriel will spend far too much time walking back and forth on the Marienplatz.

It's a pretty street, but you can spend half the game here

By this time, having done the tape puzzle, I was looking for an address. Turns out you have to figure out another thing that you can only do back on the farm, because even if you find the location you need, the game won't identify the address for you until you've taken that simple action. Back and forth. Back and forth. Went to the WT for that too. Otherwise, I was able to play on my own and made great progress! 

Der schöne Baron von Glower

Once you solve that puzzle, however, you get to meet the rather irresistible Peter Lucas as Baron von Glower (who indeed glowers rather nicely). Lucas turns out to be a Polish actor, but one who clearly speaks German well. He tried to make it in Hollywood but never did. Nobody who played this game can understand why he couldn't get any traction here as an actor (my bet is that it's because he's European. Hollywood accepts British actors, sometimes. Nobody else). Hope he did better in Europe. 

Anyway once we're in, we're really in! Have a drink with the boys!

Meeting the boys

And so we get to Chapter Two! Whew! Sorry about the walkthrough, but really, I'm playing for fun here and I don't want to go through too much frustration. I've already won the game twice in the past (and when I first played there was almost no internet and no walkthroughs, so somehow I figured out that tape puzzle on my own! Must have!)

More thoughts on Full Motion Video. Pros: It really does give you a sense that you're in an interactive movie. Cartoons are fine for a basic story, but real human actors in actual locations convey the urgency of the plot so much better than animation.

Cons: Repetition, repetition, repetition. Whenever you walk into the lawyer's office, it's the same scene. When you leave, it's the same scene. That problem applies to other areas. I remember getting heartily sick of seeing Grace put on her coat every single time she left Schloß Ritter when I played the game years ago.

Speaking of Grace, I found her! She starts Chapter Two with a fairly long video, ending in her bedroom at Schloß Ritter.

Hello Gracie!

So, whew! Really glad I looked at the WT. I was one hundred percent stuck. Shameless, I know!

Tomorrow!

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Gabriel Knight 2, the Beast Within-1: OK, Let's Go Again!

Having basically struck out on Gabriel Knight 1 so far, the next attempt obviously is the second game in the trilogy. GK2, this time about werewolves, stands out as a truly excellent game, and it has a unique feature: it's done in full-motion video. That mode of production didn't last long, but I really like it. I guess it's too expensive to do these days, but it was nice while it lasted! (Um, actually, this is the only game I ever played in FMV, so maybe this was the only good one!)

Clearly, Sierra spent quite a lot of money to produce this game. I think it was the second game I played, after Uninvited (I spent many years without gaming at all. This game got me into the hobby.) I bought it because I've been studying German off and on for years, and I was in a store in 1995 and saw that the game took place in Germany. Knowing nothing else about it, I bought it.

We're not in New Orleans anymore!

I was not disappointed. There's quite a lot of spoken and written German in the game, and the acting is absolutely outstanding. All the German actors are fantastic, and the American leads also do quite credible jobs, although there are no name actors in this game. Dean Erickson, our new Gabriel, fits the part well and delivers a truly good performance. That was absolutely necessary. (I looked him up years later and learned that this was basically the only major acting job he ever had. He switched his career to the financial field.)

Our new Gabe, Dean Erickson

There may be a problem here, however. This game still runs under DosBox. I don't recall any speed issues in it, however, and I played it at least twice years ago. I know that it runs on my old Thinkpad, however, and I have all the CDs. So, I absolutely can play this one on that machine in case I run into more glitches.

Good thing I have the original game! I couldn't figure out how to get Gabe to do stuff, so I looked at the original manual. Turns out you have to find certain triggers, and then Gabe will take whatever action is necessary. Conversations, however, are pretty much the same as in GK1. You click on topics, and the actors take it from there.

Talking with the nice lawyer

Inventory items are just about as accessible as in GK1. You still have to go through several steps to get your stuff. Here's a nice envelope, and I noticed the stamp has half dome on it, Sierra's symbol.

A little product placement!

Travel is pretty similar to GK1 as well, although perhaps a bit more confusing. You do need to know the name of the location in which your destination lies! Pay attention!

The subway system in Munich. Click on your destination.

And I found a nice reference to GK1. Helpful, because Gabe has money now. He stole it from the Voodoo Hounfour in the first game!

The case that provided the cash

Again, Gabe make tape recordings of all his conversations. I really didn't need them in the first game, but I believe we have to use these in this game.

Conversation with Dr. Klingmann. Hmmm.

I've learned quite a bit more German since I first played this, and was able to understand this newspaper article pretty well! You don't have to be able to read it, however. Gabe will mention anything important.

Eine deutsche Zeitung

I got as far as completing my conversation with Dr. Klingmann. Really don't know what to do next. I'll see what I can figure out tomorrow!

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GK1 Original 4: Things go Great . . . Until . . .

So, good fun when things go well! I played for awhile this morning and made lots of progress. I'm really getting into the meat of the story now, except, I'm not sure the game is going to allow me to make the actions I know I need to make. Although I've tried slowing the speed (there's an option for that), you need to act in a split second to get the stuff done.

But first, the fun stuff. I just breezed right through Day 5. It was pretty much unchanged from the remake (or, heh, visa versa). I found Crash, talked to Gran, which led me finally to call Uncle Wolfgang in Germany. 

Then on the beginning of Day 6 you find the professor. Only the lecture hall is different from the remake. Frankly, I like this one better.

Nice Lecture Hall

I went through the snake attack scene at the Voodoo Museum, and almost couldn't do the action before I got killed. I did get killed on the first try.

I may be seeing this a lot later

Finally I was able to hit the spot to stop the attack, but it was a very close thing.

My problem now is that I have to get the police to move out of the station so that I can sneak into Mosely's office with the key he left me. The remake changed this so that Gabe breaks in through a street window, and I'm pretty sure I know why they changed it. In fact, I remember having a lot of trouble with this puzzle when I first played the game.

The Begneigt dealer comes back. The cops go out. The desk sergeant just leans out the door and tells me not to do anything. Immediately, I have to get the door icon and click it on the gate to get through to Mosley's door. I have the key ready to grab, but the sergeant only gives me about one second, if that, to get there and that just isn't enough time.

Gabe talks the begniet dealer into going back to the police station

The very first time I tried this it seemed as though there was enough time. I've saved the game and hope that finally I'll be able to do it, but five or six more tries just aren't working yet. 

This problem does not bode well for the future. It's an old game. I wasn't meant for modern processors, even though it's been modified to work on them, and so far has worked just fine. But actually, I had the same trouble with this in 2001 when I first played it, and that didn't have too much to do with the speed of the computer. (Um, actually it did. It's just that 2000-era computers weren't quite fast enough yet to spoil the game.) Also, I've read on forums that folks had a lot of trouble with this puzzle.

But, even if I can get through this, later in the game there's an infamous puzzle that nearly defeated me. It's in the Snake Mound in Africa. You are attacked by mummies, and you have to grab the "operate" icon and click it on a vine in order to keep from being eaten. In the remake they made it much easier, but in this version you really have to just keep trying because you have only a split second to get it exactly right. 

Same problem here. I'm a bit encouraged because the first time I tried this it looked as though I had enough time, and if I had remembered what I had to do I probably could have done it. That means that eventually it ought to work. 

I think I'll try it tomorrow, though. That's enough for tonight!

UPDATE: I did a bit of online research, and found out that yeah, modern processing speeds are way too fast and nobody can do this puzzle. There is a patch that is supposed to get you plenty of time for this puzzle and for the Snake Mound puzzle later in the game (which clearly, will be impossible as things stand now. Well, this one is impossible). However, I know zero about installing patches, so I'm going to set this game aside until I can see my computer-wizard nephew on Christmas. He'll be able to fix it for me. Until then, I'm going to move on to GK2, which is also a fantastic game!

Apparently there's also a way to slow down the DosBox speed, but that's really out of my league! (And apparently not possible. When I go to DosBox configuration I don't get the option you're supposed to get to change the speed.)

Aha, further research says that all you have to do is press CTRL+F11 to slow the DoxBox speed, and F12 to increase it! Except that, on my computer (a Dell Inspiron), that only changes the screen brightness. Up-Update: Turns out different computer brands change the function keys. On Dell, you press Alt+Fn+F11 to slow things down, BUT it also turns out that on really fast computers that doesn't help much. And it didn't.

Such are the hazards of playing very old games. I'm just glad it's still possible for some folks. And, if nothing works here, I have an old, old laptop that runs Win 98. I have this game on it, running natively, without DosBox, because Win98 has a native Dos configuration that's easily accessible. I can play it on that one for sure! Only problem with that is that I would have to start all over. But I might!

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GK1 Original 3: Dancing through Day 3

Sheesh! I thought I'd never get Day 3 to end! The problem with playing basically the same game over is that I know (most of) the puzzles, so I tend to do some of the stuff early and I get out of sync with some of the story. 

Plus, some things have changed. The fortune teller in the park is quite different from the one in the remake. She does this dance--constantly--and you can't do anything else while she's doing it, and she keeps doing it, and she won't read your fortune. It turns out that in the original game we're supposed to touch her while she dances to make her drop her veil. That's not what happens in the remake. In fact, the remake is much easier here. The frustration level in the original no doubt is why they changed it.

"C'mon boys! Hoopla!"

There is no flyer from Moonbeam in this game, as it turns out. Instead, Dr. John tells us to visit her. Went to see her, and  of course, she also dances.

At least it's easier to get her snake scale

Well, Mosley doesn't dance, so that's helpful. However, the reason I couldn't end the day was that I have to go back to the cemetary and see Malia leaving her family tomb. 

I'm not shy about going to the WT on this playthrough. It is a bit different, and I've already solved the game.

So finally, tomorrow, I can get into Day 4. As I recall that one is action packed! Let's hope it isn't too different from the remake!

I am a bit worried that I haven't found a flashlight yet, however. It was in Gabe's bedroom in the remake. It's certainly not there in this one.

Till tomorrow!

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GK1 Original 2: Stuff is Barely Visible!

Zooming right along in the original game, but the pixilation does make things more difficult than in the remake. The game is absolutely playable, but wow, it's tough to see some of the items! Plus, a few things are in different places. I knew already that the tweezers and magnifying glass were in a different spot, but the sketch book, which Grace gives to Gabriel as almost the first act in the remake, is now is Granny's attic (and yes, we do visit Granny on the first day). When I got to the crime scene I realized I needed it and didn't have it. Had to check the WT to find out where the thing was.

The mime puzzle was easier here. In the remake you have to be sure the mime doesn't get attracted by the other people he follows. Either I avoided that this time on the first try, or once Gabriel has his attention, he doesn't leave. 

Plus, the mime does more mime stuff in this version

Also, in the police station we don't get Mosley's badge on the first day--actually it may be that we don't talk with Mosely on the first day in the remake, so that might be the difference. You can't change the thermostat on the first day. However, I did get the photocopies of the veve patterns.

The cemetary still looks pretty similar, but again, wow, you have to know that's a brick on the ground. It's just a smudge of red in this pixilated version.

The markings are pretty obvious though

It's taking quite a long time to play this because you have to spend so much time in conversations. That's fine with me! I get to enjoy Tim Curry's performance. Plus, we have Mark Hamil as Mosely, and Michael Dorn as Dr. John, who also doesn't show up on Day 1 in this version.

On Day 1, there's a temp in the Voodoo Museum. Plus, I couldn't find the flyer for Moonbeam. The crime scene looks pretty similar, but how players ever found those snake scales is a really good question. They are far from obvious, although there is a small clue if you know you're looking for something. Gawd, the pixel hunting must have been outrageous. There's no hitting the space bar for hotspots.

At least the pattern is visible. Can you find the snake markings?

So there are some fairly major differences, and the need for a remake of this game was clear. 

Hoping I'll be able to get through a couple of days tomorrow! 

It's still fun though, if only for Curry's performance!

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Gabriel Knight, Sins of the Fathers, Original: Bet I can Finish This One!

So, I am undaunted after my miserable experience with the 20th Anniversary Edition, which is an excellent update of the game, if you can get a copy without bugs.

Well, I was undecided as to which game I wanted to play next. This original version of GK1 or GK2, which is also a fantastic game. After being unable to finish the remake, the obvious choice was this one. I ought to be able to finish it pretty quickly, although it does take time to get through all the dialogue. But I know the puzzles!

First impressions, my gawd, is this game pixelated! I hope I'll be able to spot all the items I need. The tweezers and magnifying glass were just barely recognizable. 

Gabriel's bookshop

As you see, it's the same place. But the detail is seriously obscure. The game is just too old for modern computers, but it is playable. However, you can't reveal the hot spots with the space bar; pixel hunting is required.

My first impression is about the very complicated playing system. You have to click icons for "look," "walk," "operate," etc. You click a question mark to get into a conversation. One thing hasn't changed: the conversation system is seriously repetitious. You just have to keep asking about subjects until the character starts repeating him/herself. 

Conversation screen

But the voice acting! Hey, I really came around to the actor voicing Gabriel in the remake (Jason Victor). The guy is excellent. But Tim Curry is beyond excellent; he's a great actor. There is nuance in almost every sentence. It's worth it to play this original game just for him.

I left it right after the initial conversation with Grace. I've also read the newspaper, picked up the items I need, and checked the bookshelf for that clue to the clock puzzle (if only I had recognized, years ago when I played this, that that was the clue to the clock puzzle).

The "Day" screens are pretty similar:

Actually this is a bit easier to read

So I intend to get through this quickly. I'll only post if I have something different to say about this game than I said about the remake. But I also intend to enjoy Tim Curry's performance!

Hope I can cope with the pixilation.

Till tomorrow.

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Gabriel Knight 1-7: BUMMER! Game glitch! Can't finish!

Another verdamnten Steam game with a glitch!!!! I can't finish!

This isn't the first one. Steam's copy of Syberia 1 doesn't work either.

So I got through to the endgame. The real endgame. I did all the Schloß Ritter stuff. I went to Africa and solved the tiles puzzle in the snake mound. I defeated the mummies. Uncle Wolfgang did what he had to do to get me the talisman.

The snake mound with the tiles puzzle

I go back to New Orleans. I'm in the secret hounfour and I'm ready to get to the final scenes. But . . .

I've got to summon Dr. John to get him out of his room so that I can steal his keycard. If I don't do that, he kills me. To do that, I have to play the drums with the Rada book. It's got the "summon" command. But there is supposed to be a page four, with his code name on it. I have to click "summon" on page three. Fine. Got that.

Then I have to click "Brother Eagle" on page four, to summon Dr. John.

There is no page four in my Rada book.

I have checked two written walkthroughs and a video playthrough. There is supposed to be a page four. There is not one in my copy.

There is no forward arrow. I cannot get to page four.

This means that I cannot finish the game.

I'm betting that the GOG copy is intact, but I don't want to spend $20 to buy it. 

I hate Steam. For lots of reasons, but this is the worst. They have lousy quality control.

Still, I have a copy of the original 1993 game, and I got it from GOG. I bet I can finish that one! Anyway, I want to play it to see what changed in this new edition.

So, that was Gabriel Knight, Sins of the Fathers, 20th Anniversary Edition. It was super fun, as far as it went. Play it! Just don't buy it from Steam!

UPDATE: Fortunately, these days we have YouTube. I was able to watch a video of the endgame, so I know what this version did. I wish I could have found out how many points I got, though. In the YouTube video, the Narrator's voice was on. So glad I turned that off. I always found that annoying, and this version was pretty similar to the original. BTW, no kind person can email me a saved game to get me beyond the glitch point. That point is the last place you can save in the game. Anyway, I have wishlisted the game on GOG and will buy it next time it goes on sale. I need a fully working copy of this great game. I'll probably want to play it again in a few years. And, maybe I can import my save file from this copy to the new one, if I can figure out how to do that. 

But I have started a playthrough of the original game. At least this glitch answered the question of which game I should play next!

Happy gaming. Just buy your copy on GOG.

Gabriel Knight 1-6: We Haz Castle!

So wow! I completed Days 6 and 7, and these were action packed! 

On Day 6 we really get into the voodoo stuff. We have to find our way into the voodoo gathering, and that requires serious risk taking.

First we have to find out where the gathering is going to be. Then we have to find a way to gain entrance. We've already got all the items we need for that, but we have to figure out how to use them.

Also, there's a good puzzle with the voodoo code on Marie Laveau's tomb. I knew we had to alter that at some point. This is the point.

Kind of a nifty puzzle here

Rather a good puzzle! That, along with a few other exertions, will lead us to the designated venue for the voodoo ceremony.

Nice area!

And of course, the ceremony itself gets a bit wild.

Can Gabriel get out alive?

After that it's a matter of finding the motivation, and the funds, to fly to Germany. Uncle Wolfgang says that Schloß Ritter now belongs to Gabriel!

So off we go!

New Orleans to Munich, non-stop

And here's our castle! Nice! However, there are things to do. Gabriel has to figure out how to do the ceremony to become a Schattenjäger.

Nice private chapel, with clues

That done, there are dreams:

Being a Schattenjäger is maybe not so nice?

Having accomplished all that, I quit for the night. 

But it was intense!

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Gabriel Knight 1-5: 200 Points!

I have achieved 200 points out of 362. No doubt I've missed a bunch, but I'm over halfway there.

My, but the plot does indeed thicken. I found Day 5 to be quite challenging. Went to the WT once, but actually it didn't help me. The in-game hint system is better, I think! The WT gave me the solution to a puzzle, but I couldn't make that solution work so I wound up solving the puzzle myself. Glad of that!

This one's a bit complicated!

Anyway, I have managed to get Mosely to re-open the Voodoo Murders case, which he had closed. I have found a way to translate the Voodoo code markings on Marie Laveau's tomb, although I haven't reached the point where I will alter that message (I remember that we do that). 

My main problem stemmed from the fact that I couldn't remember just what had happened last night when I quit the game. Grace had given me a journal and letter that I was supposed to read, but I forgot about it. Finally I found them in my inventory. Also, I found where the term "Shattenjäger" first appears. It's in the letter we find in the puzzle clock in Grandma's attic, but somehow it just didn't register with me. Perhaps I didn't properly examine it when I found it.

I have visited a friendly Voodooienne, Moonbeam. She has a nice house and does a nice dance.

Nuts, but nice

Moonbeam actually is quite helpful. Also, my memory of the original game served me well tonight. There is a point when you enter the Voodoo Museum where you get attacked. You can die. One of the few actual puzzle solutions I remember from the original game is how not to die. It's easy, and I was able to stop the murder process with no difficulty.

There was a nice clue, however, after that, which I ought to have picked up on. Because I didn't I wound up trying all kinds of things to get Mosely to re-open the Voodoo Murders case, when I had the evidence all along. Something I don't remember from the original is three identical little girls skipping rope outside the police station.

Where did these girls come from?

At any rate, at last I ended the day. That was a major one, so I stopped there. 

I have definitely decided at least one thing: the next game I'm playing for this blog will be either the original GK1 or GK2. Haven't played them in years, am enjoying the heck out of this one, and I need to have them in my games list! Plus, playing GK1 again will allow me to see just what they changed for the 20th Anniversary edition!

But it's time to get all of the Gabriel Knight games into this blog! It's an adventure games blog, and I have to have the best!

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Gabriel Knight 1-4: Getting into it Now!

Oh yes! Oh yes indeed! I got so into the game that I played it all evening instead of watching TV. That's the kind of game I like! Played for a total of four hours today!

Did Day 3 rather easily. However, in Day 4 things start to get far more intense. I'm also rather proud of myself. Yeah, I'm sure my memory of the game is helping me a bit, but I've been able to figure out almost all of it. I needed to look at the in-game hint about how to find a lady I met in the drug store, but it's a good hint system. It points you toward the solution, but doesn't give the solution to you.

I'm really enjoying the voice acting! The guy paying Gabriel is doing a really good job. He may not be Tim Curry but he's very credible and enjoyable. Grace is every bit as good as the original, and many of the supporting players are excellent. Grandma stands out especially. That's a serious relief. Bad voice acting can just ruin a game, but really good work greatly enhances it.

One of the easier days

Things went quite smoothly for me in Day 3, which isn't all that extensive anyway. There are long talks with people, and that takes up most of the playing time, but the puzzles aren't all that difficult.  But when we get to Day 4 . . .

(Just proof that I got there!)

. . . things get much more complex. Even so, I only needed two hints. Plus, I confess that I remembered some things from the first game, and noticed a real change. In the original game we went "backstage," so to speak, in the cathedral. This time we find what we need much more easily, without having to leave the main cathedral area. Plus, I was able to figure out some puzzles all on my own!

I am now aaalllllmost halfway through the points. No doubt I've missed some things--you always do in Jane Jensen's games--but I'm pretty close to halfway, and I'm quite sure that I'm about halfway through the game. 

Finally I got to visit Grandma! I know for certain that was one of the first places we went in the original game. This time it's Day 4 before we get Grandma's place showing on the map. I found the infamous clock puzzle. I had no qualms about looking up the solution to that, and finally I see the logic of it--although the clue is quite obscure. The clock really looks better this time.

Chatting with Grandma

Grandma's attic

The famous clock puzzle

I definitely missed finding the first mention of "Shattenjäger." It just shows up in Gabriel's conversation. That had to be somewhere in the attic, and yet I was really sure that I looked at everything that was available there. Maybe I'll try to go back and find it, although it doesn't matter. I'll also have to look to see if the German letter I found is legible. Everybody in the game says they don't speak German, but I do (well, enough to make some sense of things). "Shattenjäger," by the way, means "shadow hunter," but we're getting ahead of ourselves!

So I'm really getting into the voodoo stuff. I've managed to get a couple of important items that I'm going to need later: an animal mask and a snake bracelet. The bracelet already has come in handy, actually.

And although the game isn't x-rated, it makes things quite clear that Gabriel and Malia Geddes are getting together at night. Grace is a bit jealous. 

 However, there's really no doubt who Malia Geddes is at this point. And I know that Gabriel will be going to Germany soon. Things are getting dangerous, clearly.

Makes for a great atmosphere! Yes! Can't wait for tomorrow!

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Gabriel Knight 1-3: Progress! Progress!

Oh fun! I have completed Day 2! This is real progress. I'm really glad I decided to play this game, finally. I actually remember quite a bit, but not the details, so it really is like playing for the first time. 

For example, I knew I was supposed to steal something from Mosely, but couldn't remember what. Once I got it I was able to figure out what to do with it.

However, I'm not impressed with the save-game system. Yes, you can save games, but when you return you only get the option to "Return to Checkpoint," whatever that is. When I got back to the game today I had returned to the Voodoo Museum, but the game put me back into the museum when I entered it, and had wiped out everything I had done in it the other day, including the whole long conversation with the proprietor. Not cool. However, now I know that happens, so in the future I'll be sure to exit whatever area I'm in before I want to save. (Update: Or, just choose "load game" from the menu instead of "continue from checkpoint." Sheesh.)

Had to do the whole conversation again

I managed to get through all the stuff in the police station, including copying the files, but I confess that I looked that up. I remember doing it in the past but couldn't remember how to get the policewoman out of the way so I could use the copy machine. Stupid, because I had already found the clue to that.

I'm looking up stuff when I've already done an area, just to see if I missed anything. Have found a few things, which is why I'm not frustrated. But it's just enough. I have figured out this game twice in the past. This time I'm just enjoying the nostalgia and having fun.

Had a nice talk with Malia Geddes, and that went well.

Nice room!

Also figured out a couple of puzzles in Jackson Square--this one with a little tap-dancing kid and with an artist. Also, I noticed a really nice feature of the screen art. In the bookstore, you get a nice effect of dust motes floating in the light streaming through the windows. It's a bit of animation. Not noticeable unless you do notice it!

Dust Motes

And I got a nice shot of one of Gabriel's nightmares, the same one he has after we trigger the end of the first two days at least.

As I recall, this is a Knight ancestor

So far it seems as though this game has eliminated the scenes with Gabe's grandma. I know that was nearly the first place he went in the original game, and her house isn't even on the map. Too bad, because there was a devious clock puzzle in her attic!

Still, I'm having fun! I got though an entire "day" today, and look forward to more tomorrow!

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